Y45 Graduation Ceremony: Guests

[Professor Matt Alcott-Ward]

Out of Character:

Here is the area for invited guests, staff, professors and prefects to post while at the graduation. Please be reminded that you are also invited to start separate RPs that take place after the graduation ceremony has concluded.

 

[Emmanuel Okoye]

Emmanuel as a fifth year prefect, had never attended a graduation. It had just never been something he had been invited to. But this was the first he was, and he was eager. There was something to the pomp and ceremony of such a thing that he was keen on. Something about the way these sorts of celebrations were throughout history, in different versions and forms. He glanced at the head students applauding loudly after they spoke. Since he thought it right, and he did the same for all the other students that then crossed the stages. there were ones he knew and then ones he didn't. But they were all worth of a large round of applause for graduating. It was after all, an achievement worth celebrating.

 

[Marcus Carnahan]

That day would mark the third time Marcus was attending graduation for one of his children, a passing event despite being one he had experienced before seemingly entirely surreal to him. It seemed like only yesterday he had bid Felix adieu on his first trip on the Hogwarts express, about to be sorted and starting his years at school, but there Felix was, undeniably much older, now at graduation with the title of head boy and about to begin the rest of his life as an adult. The rest of his life that Marcus worried he eventually wouldn't be part of. It was all a step in the journey of growing up, and he knew this from his own experience, but at the same time he couldn't help but feel a sense of sadness over that day's graduation marking the end of Felix's childhood. To Marcus, Felix was still very much a child and would always be his child but he couldn't help but recognize that day meant otherwise. He was of course entirely proud of what Felix had achieved and the person Felix had become, and would do all he can to support Felix in the next stage of his life however he couldn't help but notice his sadness over the passing of time underneath it all.

Marcus smiled as Felix began his speech, ignoring the sadness in his chest. He was unable to keep himself from cheering midway through to show support for his son, clapping enthusiastically when the speech was over. He remained quiet after this during the head girl's speech, only resuming his cheering as Felix's name was called to collect his diploma. Marcus shouted "Go Felix!" as loud as he could while cheering and clapping as his son walked across the stage. He had a few gifts ready for Felix at home and couldn't wait until the graduation ceremony was over so he could give Felix a big hug and celebrate with him.​

 

[Jordan Harris]

Jordie felt a little weird being back, and he'd tried a bit to be more inconspicous as he took a seat with Uncle James. He had a hat over his curls and was trying to shrink down a bit. After his lackluster speech, he doubted any staff or students wanted to see him, of all people. Of course, he wasn't going to miss Leo's graduation, and he smiled brightly at the man. He waved to his brother, leaning into their uncle a bit, and cheering loudly as Leo crossed the stage, forgetting for a moment he was trying to hide from the headmaster. Once Leo had sat down again, he shrunk back down again, biting his lip. This could potentially be awkward, but he was going to be here for Leo no matter how he felt about the school.

 

[James Michaels]

James felt a bit old- having one, then another, now another baby of his graduating. He couldn't imagine how old he would feel when Sebastian was old enough to graduate, as well. Today, however, was about Leo. James took his seat, pretending not to notice how Jordie was trying to stay hidden, and put his arm around the back of his sons chair, smiling broadly up at Leo. He couldn't help but be proud of Leo, of how far he'd come and all he'd accomplished. He cheered loudly, unashamed, as his son crossed the stage for his diploma. He'd been cooking a feast all day, and fully intended to take Leo home to all of his favorite meals and desserts. He was beaming, even as Leo sat, just proud of the boy and unable to hide it.

 

[Axel Zhefarovich]

Axel Zhefarovich walked in the Great Hall like he had done several times before - but it had been some time. After all, his children graduated ages ago, and now he was here to witness his grandson graduate. He had several grandchildren, and this one came from his beloved daughter, Athena. He might have played favorites from time to time, and though he hated Athena's ex husband, at least her children took after the family, and not after that coward. He found himself a seat, and saved the one next to him for his daughter. His hand rubbed his thigh, where the connection to the metal leg began. He mastered walking with it by now. It still did not take away from his skills - just slowed him down a bit. He saw his grandson, who was named after him, finally cross the stage and he clapped while smiling proudly. It was rare to see someone like him smile, but his bloodline was about to venture out in the world. How could he not be?​

 

[Margo Fox]

Margo's head felt full of thoughts she didn't know what to do with. For once she was eager and ready to get out of Hogwarts for a little while. She hoped the steady routine of her job and spending time with her family would ground her before she had to come back and face her final year. That though scared her but as she took her seat for the graduation ceremony she was determined to look at it positively. She clapped as the headmaster began and the head people gave their speeches. She had to admit she was a little proud that both had been from Hufflepuff this year. Once the applause for the speeches died down then came all the names. One by one the seventh years stood and got their diploma. Margo tried to imagine herself as one of them and it made her stomach do a little flip. When the last student walked she clapped loudly with the rest of the audience before it was time for them to all file out of the hall.

 

[Professor Yvonne Dubois]

Yvonne was stating to feel old as year after year her students seemed younger and younger, and more and more she started to resemble the parents who came to support their children as they finished school. It was expected of course as time went on but it could be a reality check when she wasn't expecting. But she still loved graduation and celebrating her students. She took her seat with the rest of the faculty and listened politely as the head boy and girl gave their speeches. There were no grand political stances declared this year which was to be expected from a pair of Hufflepuffs, not that they couldn't be cutting if they wanted to. She clapped for each student as they walked to get their diploma. When it was finally over she stayed back letting families and students go ahead of her.

 

[Sawyer Carnahan]

It felt weird to be back at school for a graduation for the third time now, weirder still to see Felix up on stage as Head Boy. It'd been one thing to see him get the badge in the mail, comical in a sort of a distant way when Sawyer tried to imagine it in action, but seeing his brother actually speaking up on stage, looking and sounding the part, was more surreal than Sawyer could have expected. "Thistle's practically going to have to become the Minister of Magic now to top him," he said in a teasing whisper to Thea, shaking his head fondly at the idea. All hail Minister Thistle, the magical world wouldn't recover. Sawyer would vote for her.

He joined in when Dad cheered for Felix as the speeches wrapped up, clapping idly for Felix and his classmates though if he was honest, despite his obvious pride for his brother, his mind was miles away. Half of him was worried he was going to run into an old professor or classmate who was going to ask what he'd been up to since graduation, already formulating his best spiel to aggrandize the groove he'd worn into their couch at home as his best accomplishment. And the other part of his brain was dedicated almost entirely to see if he could spot Essie. He knew her sister was graduating too, practically jumped out his skin hearing "Fuentes" get called out as they went through the graduates. Thank Merlin Felix had gotten his diploma early so Sawyer could spend the rest of the ceremony shameless scouring the seats around him. Just in case.

 

[Estella Fuentes]

It had felt like a while since Estella had stepped into Hogwarts, and it would probably also be the last time that she would. She was there for her sister's graduation and she couldn't believe how quickly Evie had grown up. They were both now about to be out of Hogwarts, and Essie knew she had to take her younger sister under her wing in order for her to be able to survive the real world. Estella was proud of her though, and beamed at her in the crowd of the graduates, looking flawless as ever in her graduation robe (even though Essie definitely looked better than her when she graduated).

The speeches were a little boring. She much preferred the speeches that were made during her graduation, even Jordie's one. The woman clapped as familiar faces stepped up onto the stage to collect their diplomas, including Sawyer's younger brother. She wondered if Sawyer was there somewhere?

It felt surreal when Estella saw her sister stepping up onto the stage. She couldn't help but laugh a little too loudly as she noticed Evie trip up the stairs. She was a little embarrassed at this, but luckily no one had seemed to notice.

As the ceremony slowly came to an end, Essie felt as though her heart had stopped when she noticed Sawyer in the crowd. Suddenly shy and figuring he was perhaps too busy to interact with her, Essie pretended she hadn't noticed as she made her way over to her sister to congratulate her.

 

[Louis Alcott]

It felt surreal for Louis to step back into Hogwarts like this. He had graduated only a year before, and honestly? He didn't have much to how for it. It was almost embarrassing, though he knew it wasn't like anyone here would know that. He was dreading the possibility of seeing René, but after glancing around a few times he realized he wasn't here. Had he broken up with Gwen? Probably not, last time they spoke he had still been besotted. Honestly, Louis was relieved not to see him. He didn't want to hear about his adventures as a professional Quidditch player. He took a seat next to his dad and watched the ceremony. It was startlingly similar to his own, with the exception of a Celia speech. With a pang, Louis realized he missed her. He should try to contact her sometime soon, though he wasn't sure if she would want him to. After the speeches, Louis could almost immediately start cheering for Giulia, as she was one of the first called up. He whistled loudly, hoping she would look in his direction. He beamed proudly. Even though he felt a little bad about his own lack of accomplishments, he also felt proud of Giulia for hers.

 

[Melody Wilde]

Melody couldn't Believe that her little girl was so grown up. She was no longer her little Harmony, or her young Niamh, but her Big Sky, So grown up and ready to explore the world. She didnt know where her daughter would go. what she would do. She had always been hard to pin down, defiantly something she had to blame for and why even at the age of around eight she had picked the name of cloud for herself a name that melody had to admit suited her better than harmony ever had. and now here she was sitting in the back of the big dining hall at Hogwarts her husband beside her as they watched sky graduate. She listened to the speeches. She recognised Molly as being one of Sky's friends and she clapped each of the students who crossed the stage clapping harder for the ones whose name she recognised. once the formalities were over she waited for sky to finish with her friends before heading over to her. "gratulerer Sky. comhghairdeas" she said congratulating her in both Norwegian and Irish pulling her daughter into a hug. "We are so proud of you" she said letting sky go and watching as she hugged her dad. before she handed over a present. She watched as sky unwrapped it. it and smiled at her reaction to the russ hat. though unlike the traditional red this one was yellow. "Happy Russefeiring" She said. she knew it wasn't the same to at home. that the month of partying that was not only known but celebrated across all of society for high school graduates wasn't a thing. but she knew how much sky had liked collecting the cards as a kid, and hoped that this would at least make her smile.

 

[Nolan Burke]

In all honesty, it was a bit odd to be back at Hogwarts. Even stranger that he wasn't even here to be a student, more so as a guest, especially to watch his sister make her speech as well as seeing her walk across the stage with diploma in hand. Nolan took a seat in the guest area, though there were a lot of guests around, he couldn't see any familiar faces around. It wasn't long before the head boy and girl speeches started. He liked both speeches, Felix's humorous and Molly's being short and sweet, which Nolan liked. The students were now walking up to the stage to receive their diplomas, and it had reminded Nolan so much of when he was a student here and was graduating not too long ago. The boy cheered and clapped loudly for his sister as she walked across the stage, very proud of her.

 

[Athena Zhefarovich]

Athena couldn't believe how much smaller the school looked as she stepped through the doors and made her way to the Great Hall. The room was as great as ever, and it still had its own presence, but it didn't feel quite so large. It took a moment for the woman to spot her father and another few moments to make her way to his side and take a seat. He looked full of pride, and she hoped that his face and her own pride for her son would be enough. The woman always felt that, of her two children, Axel, always seemed to get less of everything. Less time with his father, less of her, just less. The woman pushed away the dark thoughts and focused on the ceremony as best she could. It was no easier to do as an adult, and she found herself glancing around and reminiscing instead, but she made sure that she did not miss her son's special moment. Joining her father in clapping loudly, Athena hoped her son would stay on the right path.

 

[Aine Thompson]

It always felt a bit odd attending the graduation ceremony, most of the time she didn't really even know the older students well enough to have strong feelings about their graduations. But, prefect duties meant Aine had to attend, this time without the promise of Celia making a splash with a speech that, despite all their butting heads, Aine had really enjoyed. Aine half wondered if her feelings on that meant that the school would do the smart thing and pick someone nice who would make an inoffensive speech for Head Girl next year over someone like her. Certainly, Molly and Felix made perfectly nice speeches that didn't stick out but were by no means bad, Felix's was even kind of funny.

Even if Aine didn't know the other students well, she knew them enough to find it strange seeing them graduate. Especially with the knowledge her time would come next year. She found herself cheering a little louder for the Hufflepuffs, and a couple of others she knew like Giulia, knowing that while it was unlikely she'd see a lot of them ever again, she felt happy for them all the same. Still, the looming knowledge that next year was her turn and life would change dramatically yet again was terrifying, and Aine tried to push down the bubbling feeling of anxiety in her stomach until she could politely excuse herself from the ceremony.

 

[Professor Gabrielle Moncrieffe]

Gabrielle hadn't made much of an effort for the graduation ceremonies before. After all, she only taught the younger students, and none of the students she'd actually taught had been graduates yet. The graduating class this year, however, was also one of her very first groups of students, and she felt compelled to go see them off. Plus, she had found a book on major feats in twentieth century architecture to give as a small token to Akihiro. Gabrielle felt a little awkward about how she had had to stop offering him extra tutoring, she knew he had meant no harm. It had just been a case of avoiding any reputational damage and maintaining personal boundaries. (Besides, if Miranda was any proof, him seeing her as a mother type was no better, and a source of personal discomfort to Gabrielle herself). She watched the students receive their diplomas, applauding politely for them and feeling strangely mildly emotional about the whole thing. It was strange seeing these students again after meeting them in third year History. Now they were all grown up and entering the real world. All she could do was hope none of them had too hard of a time landing on their feet.

@Akihiro Chen

 

[Willow Cullen]

willow would be lying if she had said she wasn’t supprised when she had received an invitation to graduation. It stood to reason that with how entwined Tara and Casper were with her family that maisie also had become a younger sister to her. However she had expected that she would have invited one of her actual siblings. Even with Tara vanished in the wilderness there was Casper or basil or miran who surly should be here instead of her. But somehow the invite had arrived for her. She managed to swap shifts so that she would make it even if it was after a night.
She entered the great hall and already felt the familiarity of the school. Look g around she saw a couple of familiar faces in the audience. She greeted Jordie and a few of her old professors before she went and found a seat next to Martine making small talk before the event started.
She listened to the speeches. They were sweet this year short but sweet and then came the ceremony. It had been too longe since her own time in the school that she didn’t recognise many of the graduates except maisie but when she clapped when they each got their award and when her sister was called she cheered. Once the ceremony was over she hung around and mingled with martine and the other people she knew until Maisie came to find them when she gave her a big hug and congratulated her.

@Maisie Morvay @Martine Kinnek @Jordan Harris

 

[Thistle Carnahan]

This was it. After so long being the only Carnahan left at home, Thistle was about to become the only Carnahan left at Hogwarts. If he really loved her, Felix would have flunked on purpose for a couple of years so they could graduate together. As accustomed as she was by now to the sight of the Head Boy button on her brother's robes, it was still strange seeing him take the stage to speak to the whole school. It was a good speech but she was distracted by Sawyer whispering with Theia, leaning over to kick him hard in the shin. Maybe she would become Minister of Magic, just to spite them.

The speeches seemed to go on forever, but it wasn't long before they started calling people to the stage and Thistle perked up. Carnahan was early enough in the alphabet that she didn't have time to zone back out before Felix was being called, heart leaping into her throat. She grabbed for Sawyer's hand despite herself, squeezing for a quick moment as he got his diploma before letting go to applaud. As happy as she was for her brother, this finalised things. Thistle was all on her own, again.

 

[Alexander Alcott]

Alexander had thought that Louis graduating was strange enough, but Giulia graduating made him feel old in a brand new way. With his kids being so close in age and Giulia being so mature, it didn't really feel like she was the baby, but she was still technically youngest. And now she was graduating. An adult. His two adult children, neither of whom was in school anymore. Great. Good and normal. Didn't make him feel like a grandpa at all.

He sat with Louis through the speeches, smirking slightly at the stuffier, but somehow just as awkward version of Matt that existed at work. It was still strange seeing his brother-in-law in a position of authority, but he could enjoy the amusement easily. Once the speeches were done Giulia was called near straight away, and Alex joined Louis in whooping and cheering, unable to help himself despite knowing that Giulia would hate the attention. There she went. His little girl... graduated. He stayed focused on the ceremony for a bit, watching Giulia's boyfriend as he crossed the stage as well. As mean as it felt, Alex couldn't help being surprised that Giulia had found someone so... conventional, who could be so devoted to her. He was happy for her, but he couldn't totally trust that this boy had the best of intentions, knowing all too well what he had been like at that age. He wouldn't say anything of course, but he would have his eye on this boy.

 

[Ngawaiata Martin]

As a Prefect, Ngawaiata had been to graduation before. But last year it had just been routine, part of her new duties, not something she had put a tremendous amount of thought into. Now, though, it felt almost like the end of her world. Once this day was done, her time at school with Sky would be over, and it would be the beginning of their year apart. Walking the halls, going to meals and feasts and dances, curling up in the library to do homework, all of it would be alone. Ngawaiata had never disliked being alone before, but now... there was an emptiness being carved into her life that she had never felt before.

But she would be strong. She sat near Auntie Kahu silently as the ceremony began, grateful to have someone here who knew what she was going through. Of her family, she had always felt that Auntie Kahu understood her best, and Ngawaiata was glad to have that connection on such a difficult day. She barely paid attention to the speeches, feeling a little guilty to Felix and Molly for missing what must have been such important speeches to them. She only had eyes for one graduate though, and her whole body tensed as she heard Sky's name called, gaze following her girlfriend onto the stage as the pain wracked her body. As much as she had tried to prepare for today, it hurt so much more than she had expected. For the next year, she would be alone.